Moscow (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is drafting proposals under President Vladimir Putin’s order for a possible nuclear test.
As reported by Reuters, Sergei Lavrov confirmed work has begun on plans for a possible Russian nuclear test.
What did Sergei Lavrov say about Vladimir Putin’s nuclear test order?
According to TASS, Sergei Lavrov stated,
“Regarding President Vladimir Putin’s instruction at the Security Council meeting on November 5, it has been accepted for implementation and is being worked on. The public will be informed of the results.”
The order came after the US President Donald Trump’s surprise declaration that the country would resume nuclear testing.
Mr Lavrov said Moscow had not received any explanation from Washington regarding President Trump’s directive.
Tensions have escalated between Moscow and Washington after President Trump, frustrated over Ukraine, called off a summit with President Putin and imposed sanctions for the first time since January.
What did Vladimir Putin say about preparing for nuclear tests?
Vladimir Putin directed his top officials to draft plans for a nuclear weapons test, a first since the Soviet Union’s 1991 collapse.
He said,
“I am instructing the foreign ministry, the defence ministry… the special services and relevant civilian agencies to do everything possible to collect additional information on the issue, analyse it at the Security Council and make agreed proposals on the possible start of work on the preparation of nuclear weapons tests.”
During a Security Council meeting, Mr Putin took action as parliamentary speaker Vyacheslav Volodin shifted the discussion from transport safety to Moscow’s response to Trump’s nuclear test plans, the first in 33 years.
Russia’s Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said recent U.S. comments and actions justified preparations for full-scale nuclear tests.
General Valery Gerasimov, head of the General Staff, said,
“If we do not take appropriate measures now, time and opportunities for a timely response to the actions of the United States will be lost, since the time required to prepare for nuclear tests, depending on their type, ranges from several months to several years.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Putin has provided no timeline for preparing the requested proposals.
He added,
“In order to come to a conclusion about the advisability of beginning preparations for such tests, it will take exactly as much time as it takes for us to fully understand the intentions of the United States of America.”
What did Donald Trump say about Russia and nuclear weapons?
Earlier this week, during an interview, Donald Trump commented on the testing of nuclear weapons, saying,
“We have more nuclear weapons than any other country. I think we should do something about denuclearisation. And I did actually discuss that with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Xi.”
He stated,
“We have enough nuclear weapons to blow up the world a 150 times. Russia has a lot of nuclear weapons, and China will have a lot.”
President Trump said,
“Testing is because Russia announced that they are gonna do a test. If you notice, North Korea is testing constantly, other countries are testing. We are the only country that doesn’t test, I don’t want to be the only country that doesn’t test.”
In response to the question of why the US is conducting a nuclear test, he added,
“We are gonna test because they test and others test. And certainly North Korea has been testing. Pakistan has been testing. […] But they don’t go and tell you about it. And as powerful as they are you know it’s a big world, you don’t necessarily know where they are testing. They test way underground where people don’t know exactly what’s happening with the test. You feel a little bit of a vibration.”
He said,
“They test, and we don’t test. We have to test. And Russia did make a, you know, little bit of a threat the other day when they said they were gonna do certain forms of a different level of testing. But Russia tests, China does test, and we are gonna test also.”
How did Vladimir Putin respond to new US sanctions on Russia?
Vladimir Putin said Russia will resist US pressure but admitted sanctions could bring economic pain as China and India scale back imports of Russian oil.
Washington targeted Rosneft, Lukoil, and nearly 30 subsidiaries, while the EU imposed a phased ban on Russian LNG and added two Chinese refiners to its sanctions list.
Russian President suggested Mr Trump that sanctions on Russian oil could increase prices and questioned who the measures truly benefit.
Mr Putin warned Trump of a “very strong, if not overwhelming” response if Russia is targeted with US Tomahawk missiles requested by Ukraine.
When did the Ukraine-Russia war start, and how many have died in Ukraine?
The conflict started in late February 2014. It began with the Russian annexation of Crimea and Russian support for separatist forces in the Donbas region.
An estimated 200,000 to 250,000 soldiers have been killed, with total casualties reaching over 950,000 and approaching one million by mid-2025
Nearly 60,000 to 100,000 soldiers have been killed, with total casualties reaching approximately 400,000.